


The sun burned it on clear

by HopeSilverheart



Series: Shadowhunter Bingo [2]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Shadowhunter Chronicles - All Media Types
Genre: (if you squint), Angst, Background Clary Fray/Isabelle Lightwood, Daylighter Simon Lewis, Fluff, Getting Together, Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Oblivious Simon, Protective Raphael, Raphael Santiago Has Feelings, Simon is going through some stuff, Vampires, children of the night
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-08
Updated: 2020-05-08
Packaged: 2021-03-03 01:02:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,396
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24076417
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HopeSilverheart/pseuds/HopeSilverheart
Summary: Simon tried to protest, because honestly, the last thing he wanted to do was bother Raphael with his fledgling issues again. The man already thought he was incompetent, and Simon really didn’t need to give him more reasons to dislike him. Especially since dislike was the last thing Simon felt for his fellow vampire.Or: how Simon learns that being a vampire isn't all that bad, even if it means living at night. (Featuring Clizzy as the supportive and exasperated best friends)
Relationships: Simon Lewis/Raphael Santiago
Series: Shadowhunter Bingo [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1713982
Comments: 8
Kudos: 195





	The sun burned it on clear

**Author's Note:**

> Title is from Lauv's 'Come Back Home'

It all began when Simon became a Daylighter.

Suddenly, the thing that he had hated most about being a vampire – namely, not being able to go out during the day – wasn’t a problem anymore, and he could go back to his old life. He could have breakfast with his sister instead of meeting her in sleazy bars late at night, could spend his spare time with Clary instead of being locked inside the hotel with a bunch of people he didn’t like, could go back to school if that’s what he wanted.

Really, the only thing that made him different was his need for blood, and even that wasn’t too bothersome; a simple thermos filled to the brim with a sample from one of his friends – mostly Clary, but sometimes Isabelle would volunteer – and he was good to go.

The first week was glorious. He went out, met up with his old bandmates, went to say hello to his mom, had lunch with his friends, strolled through the park (although that had admittedly only happened once) and for the first time in a long time, it felt like he was alive again.

And then, of course, because nothing in his life could ever go right, it all came crashing down. He wasn’t sure who he would blame in the end, but it certainly wasn’t himself. He had been fine, thank you very much.

The Shadowhunters had taken him out to Pandemonium, and before his change – his second change – he wouldn’t have minded, because he thrived at night. However, as he walked into the club and found himself surrounded by the flashing lights, by the feeling of hundreds of people on the floor, by the loud music, by _everything_ , he suddenly realised that he couldn’t remember when he had last slept.

Sure, vampires didn’t really need sleep, but it was still recommended. It helped them recover from long nights and gather up their energy again. But vampires slept during the day, and ever since he had started going out again, Simon hadn’t really… He hadn’t stopped.

So walking into Pandemonium, having his senses assaulted like that, it was… too much. He didn’t know whether he was going to throw up or pass out, but those were frankly the only options he could see for himself in the near future, because he had never felt this exhausted.

He hadn’t even known that vampires could feel that way.

Clary was looking at him worriedly, and Isabelle was asking him something, but Simon couldn’t focus on either of them because the world was _spinning_. The voices grew louder, and the other noises faded, and he wondered if he was even awake anymore, because everything looked fuzzy in the same way that his dreams often did.

“Simon!”

He blinked the darkness away and tried to find Clary’s face, her bright red hair, her reassuring smile, but the only thing he could see was a vaguely ginger blob, fluttering above him nervously.

“Simon, can you hear me?”

He opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out, so he settled for a nod. His head was throbbing, even though he couldn’t remember hitting it against anything, and he winced painfully

“Okay, good, that’s good,” Clary’s voice was absolutely frantic, and Simon’s heart lurched because he knew that it was his fault. He should have rested, should have been stronger, shouldn’t have used up all his energy on a stupid _walk in the park_. “That’s good, right, Izzy?”

“It’s very good,” Isabelle was there too, which was great news, because the woman was a force to be reckoned with, and she knew more about vampires than Clary and Simon combined – he had never bothered to learn the details, the history, and suddenly he wished he had _,_ if only so he could have avoided this particular situation. “We should get him back to the hotel. Raphael will know what to do.”

Simon tried to protest, because honestly, the last thing he wanted to do was bother Raphael with his fledgling issues again. The man already thought he was incompetent, and Simon _really_ didn’t need to give him more reasons to dislike him. Especially since dislike was the last thing Simon felt for his fellow vampire.

Not that that mattered at the moment, since he was most likely dying again, but still, surely there was someone else the girls could contact. Magnus, perhaps, or Luke, or anyone other than Raphael Santiago.

However, since he still couldn’t speak, and since the girls were clearly immersed in their own conversation, the only thing Simon could do was sigh tiredly and close his eyes. Maybe if he stopped looking at the dizzying lights, he would feel better. Maybe his problems would go away. Maybe the girls would forget about him and their plan to find Raphael.

 _Maybe_ Simon should have gotten some goddamned sleep at some point during the week.

The next half hour was blurry, painful, and nothing more than a hazy memory in Simon’s mind. They were in Pandemonium one minute, and the next they were knocking at the Dumort’s door, the girls trying to keep him upright as he struggled to stay awake – just a few moments longer, and then he could find a cold surface to pass out on.

“ _Dios_ ,” Raphael’s smooth voice intoned. “What happened to him _this time_?”

The girls were stuttering out an answer, trying to explain what they had seen, what they knew, what was wrong, but the only thing Simon could focus on was Raphael’s cold touch as he put his hands around his waist and dragged him into the hotel.

He couldn’t remember the girls saying goodbye to him, couldn’t remember much at all besides Raphael’s gentle voice – was it gentle? Concerned? Or just annoyed? It was always hard to tell when it came to the other vampire.

He was set down somewhere soft, and he curled protectively around what felt like a blanket, sighing contentedly at the familiar smell – he couldn’t quite place it, but he knew that he loved it.

“ _Idiota_ ,” Raphael murmured as Simon finally let himself fall asleep. “What am I going to do with you now?”

* * *

Simon woke up late the next morning, feeling more aware than he had in days. Sure, he had a pounding headache and could barely remember the events of the previous night, but he felt good. And he had learned his lesson: sleep was _not_ optional, not even for immortal beings with supernatural strength and energy.

He was so busy thinking about how refreshed he felt that it took him a minute to realise that wherever he was, it was not his bedroom – not any bedroom that he recognised, in fact. The sheets were cleaner than his ever were, since he couldn’t be bothered to do the laundry that often, and the air smelled of oranges and incense, which was highly unusual; after all, the only person who smelt like that was…

“Finally awake, I see,” Raphael greeted him sardonically, leaning against the doorframe casually. “You’ve been hogging my bed for hours, Lewis.”

“Excuse you,” Simon flushed darkly, trying very hard not to look at the other vampire’s bare chest – god, had he just stepped out of the shower or something? He smelled _heavenly_. “You’re the one who brought me here! I didn’t ask you to lend me your bed, so don’t blame me for intruding on your territory or whatever.”

“That may be true,” Raphael shrugged, stepping closer to Simon in a few – graceful, predatory, enticing – strides. “However, I’m not the one who passed out from exhaustion because I wanted to play at being human again. _Dios_ , Lewis, when was the last time you slept before this?”

“I don’t see why that’s any of your business,” the younger vampire clenched his jaw, refusing to show that he was affected by Raphael’s mere presence. “It’s not as though my sleeping habits are going to have an impact on your precious rest. I’ll just… leave, okay? I’m sorry for being such an _inconvenience_.”

“Simon…” Raphael frowned. “You can’t just show up on the hotel’s doorstep delirious and not expect me to say something about it. And you certainly can’t stop sleeping just because your new power makes you feel invincible. Your friends looked terrified when they brought you here last night, and it took me hours to explain that you were fine, that you just needed to get some rest, so please, don’t make them go through that again, alright?”

Simon barely took the time to nod in agreement before rushing out of the bedroom. _Them_ , Raphael had said. His friends had been worried, not the vampire. His sire probably just didn’t want to deal with any more shadowhunters showing up at the hotel uninvited.

Still, the man had a point; he would have to start sleeping again, if only to avoid ending up in Raphael’s bed again – he didn’t think that he could handle a repeat of their conversation. And he probably owed his friends an apology; he couldn’t imagine how panicked he would have been if Clary had collapsed in his arms.

Sighing heavily, he took his phone out and dialled his best friend’s number, hoping that she was awake and available. He really wanted to hear her voice right then – it never failed to soothe him when he was having a terrible day.

“ _Si_?”

“Clary, you’re awake,” the vampire exhaled, looking around for a place to sit and realising that his feet were already unconsciously leading him towards the Institute. He was only a few minutes away from his best friend’s home – not that the old church would ever truly qualify as a home in his mind – and he took a second to thank his body for taking initiatives like that. “Look, I just… I’m sorry.”

“ _I’m sorry too_ ,” Clary answered. “ _For making you go out with us even though you clearly weren’t in any shape to drink or dance. We should have paid more attention to your energy levels._ ”

“What? No, don’t apologise to _me_ ,” Simon scoffed. “I’m the one who acted like an idiot, okay? Just… I’m almost at the Institute, do you want to go grab coffee at Taki’s? And bring Isabelle too, if she’s free.”

“ _Works for me. We’ll meet you there in ten minutes_ ,” his best friend replied immediately. “ _But Simon, just so you know? We don’t blame you for this, not at all, so don’t even_ think _about apologising again_.”

Of course, ten minutes later, the first words out of his mouth were still an apology, because he had _passed out_ on them, for heaven’s sake.

“Didn’t Clary tell you not to do that?” Izzy rolled her eyes, slapping his arm chidingly. “Look, Simon, we get it, okay? Raphael explained everything, so you don’t need to worry about it anymore. But know that if you do it again, I _will_ kick your ass. I had a date planned last night, which was cancelled because of your little Sleeping Beauty act.”

“What _?_ Oh my god, I’m a terrible friend,” Simon groaned. “Please tell me he didn’t mind and that you managed to reschedule; I don’t know how I’d live with myself knowing that I might have ruined your chances at finding true love.”

“Stop being such a drama queen, Si,” Clary chuckled. “Her date was more than happy to try again at a later date, don’t worry about it.”

The vampire frowned, looking between the two girls suspiciously and wondering if he had missed something. What was with those glances? And was that a blush on Izzy’s cheeks?

“Enough about my date,” Isabelle coughed pointedly. “We’re here to talk about Simon and his little sleeping problem. Raphael told us that he thought you hadn’t slept since the whole Daylighter event, but please tell me that’s not true. I already have Jace in my life, I can’t deal with _two_ irresponsible men.”

“Raphael said that?” Simon asked, suddenly curious about what else the vampire might have let slip whilst the younger man was asleep. “Did he… Well, what else did he mention?”

“Not much,” Clary shrugged. “Or at least, not much that you don’t already know. He just reminded us that even though you’re a vampire, you need sleep, and that we should force you to rest if you refuse to do it yourself. But we won’t have to force you, right? Because one warning was enough and you’re going to start acting like a functional adult again.”

Simon spluttered slightly at the rebuke but knew that his friends – and Raphael – had a point. He _had_ been acting foolishly ever since he had regained the ability to live during the day. But could anyone really blame him for that? It was an adjustment, trying to go back to his old routine.

“I’ll try, okay?” he sighed. “It’s just… It’s been harder than I thought it would be. Obviously, I love being out during the day and being able to see you guys whenever I want to, but it’s… It’s strange.”

“Of course it is,” Isabelle said soothingly. “Simon, you’re a _vampire_ ; living at night is probably part of your instincts, so we can’t fault you for struggling with this. We just wish that you had talked to us before collapsing in Pandemonium.”

“But you know, if you’re really having a hard time with this…” Clary started, a hint of mischief in her tone that immediately set Simon on edge. “You could always talk to Raphael about it. I never thought I’d ever see actual emotions on that man’s face, but when he opened the door to the Dumort… He looked so worried. I’m pretty sure he would listen to you if you wanted to talk about your issues.”

“What? No, absolutely not,” Simon huffed. “Raphael does enough for me as it is; I promise you that he doesn’t want to deal with my Daylighter worries on top of that. He doesn’t even like the idea of a vampire who can walk in the sun.”

“Well of course he doesn’t,” Isabelle laughed, her gaze amused and more than a little exasperated. “The mere concept must sound repulsive to him, since vampires are children of the night and all that. But trust us on this one, Simon, Raphael likes you, and he knows more about vampire things than Clary and I do anyways.”

“Um, are we talking about the same Raphael Santiago here?” Simon asked, furrowing his brows at the thought of his fellow vampire actually liking him. “The one who snaps at me all the time and constantly berates me for not being as good a vampire as him? The one who kicked me out of his bedroom this morning because I was impeding on his beauty sleep?”

He had expected the girls to roll their eyes at him and tell him that _yes_ , they were talking about the same Raphael – even though he really didn’t understand why they thought the vampire actually _liked_ him – but instead, the two of them gaped at him. And then, suddenly, Isabelle let out a high-pitched squeal and grinned at him excitedly.

“ _Oh my god_ ,” she exclaimed. “You _slept with him_? Simon, why didn’t you tell us? Is that why you’re in such a weird mood today, because the two of you hooked up and then he asked you to leave? You should have stayed; Raphael often says the opposite of what he’s thinking, you know, so he must have really wanted you to stick around.”

“Way to go, Si,” Clary grinned. “I didn’t think you’d ever have the guts to do something about that crush of yours, and Raphael didn’t seem inclined to act either, so this is great news!”

“Wha- I mean- No, we didn’t- What?” Simon stuttered. “I didn’t sleep with Raphael, for heaven’s sake! He just dropped me in his bed last night so that I could get some rest without bothering everyone else. He wasn’t with me, guys, why would you even _think that_?”

That only got him a pair of identical eyebrow raises, much to his consternation.

“Seriously, what am I missing here?” he whined. “Stop doing your telepathic girl thing and just tell me.”

“How about… no?” Isabelle grinned. “We’ll let you figure out your _boy things_ by yourself. Come to us when you’re done acting like an oblivious teenager.”

And then she sauntered out, Clary trailing after her with a quick kiss blown his way, which left Simon alone, wondering what on earth he was supposed to be figuring out, and what it had to do with Raphael, of all people.

* * *

Things got better after that day.

He started sleeping at night again, continued seeing his friends during the day, fed regularly, and very stubbornly ignored his growing crush on Raphael, who made sure to check on him _all the time_.

Part of him was offended at how little the other vampire trusted him to take care of himself, but another, larger part preened at the attention and wanted as much of it as Raphael had to give. However, he didn’t want the other vampire to spend time with him because he thought that Simon was a mess who needed constant supervision; he wanted Raphael to spend time with him because he enjoyed Simon’s company.

He didn’t even know why he liked Raphael so much. His sire was prickly, cold, and never let his masks fall away. But Simon, for some reason, liked all of those traits that many people hated. He loved that only Raphael’s friends could understand the man’s emotions, liked that he was one of those select few, liked that sometimes, when they were alone, Raphael would soften minutely and look at Simon like he didn’t _completely_ hate him.

He was in way too deep, way too soon. Clary had tried to reassure him by telling him that falling fast wasn’t especially a bad thing, but he still felt like he was doing something wrong. He wasn’t even dating Raphael, for God’s sake! Yet there he was, pining and looking at him with heart eyes and daydreaming about his small smirks and acting like a fool around him.

For a while, his crush was the only thing he could think about. He spent three weeks wondering about Raphael’s feelings, trying to make sense of what Izzy and Clary had been trying to tell him after he woke up in the older vampire’s bed.

He didn’t know if his anxiety over the matter was what ended up triggering the next series of catastrophic events in his life, or if he had just done something horrible in a past life, but one month after the night that had started everything, things started going downhill again.

“I just don’t understand why you insist on acting like a mundane,” Raphael sighed one evening as Simon was getting ready to settle down for the night. “If you keep this up, you’ll end up forgetting to feed.”

“Of course I won’t,” the younger vampire rolled his eyes. “I know you think I’m an idiot, Raphael, but I haven’t stopped feeding yet, and I don’t plan on ever doing it. I don’t want to die, you know? Clary and Izzy always make sure that I have plenty of blood stored away, and I drink at least three times a day.”

“You’re missing the point, Simon,” Raphael sighed. “I know that you won’t forget to feed, but that doesn’t change the fact that you barely act like a vampire anymore. Do you not realise that you’re hurting yourself by living out your perfect mundane dreams?”

“I’m _fine_ , Raphael. Why does everyone always treat me like I’m some sort of child who needs constant supervision and can’t make his own decisions? Why can’t you just accept that I’m a Daylighter now? If I want to live during the day, then that’s what I’ll do. It makes me happy, Raphael, isn’t that what matters?”

“Of course that’s what matters,” the older vampire answered, voice gentler than Simon had ever heard it. It made his dead heart flutter. “But are you sure you’re happy? Or are you just convincing yourself that you are because you desperately want to be?”

The question got to him more than he cared to admit and, really, his lack of response was the only answer Raphael needed. Unable to look at the man he was falling in love with any longer, Simon did the only thing that he thought would make him feel less like a liar: he ran.

The summer sun hadn’t set yet, so Raphael wouldn’t be able to follow him, nor would he be able to send any of his minions after him. That was… it was good – _right_? He didn’t want to talk to anyone, didn’t want to look into Raphael’s understanding eyes, didn’t want to think about the fact that even though he had tried to go back to his old life, he hadn’t succeeded yet.

(He didn’t know if he ever would, and that – more than anything else – terrified him.)

Night fell, but Simon knew that he wouldn’t be able to fall asleep, so he didn’t go back to the hotel. Instead, he roamed through New York City, letting his feet take him wherever they wanted to go. He stopped in front of his university at some point, trying to remember what it had felt like to go to class and study and not worry about anything other than exams. Unsurprisingly, his memories of that time were dull and faded. Nothing compared to the vibrancy of the Shadow World, to the heightened senses that came with being a vampire.

God, what was he doing with his life?

He wandered all night, never settling down and never pausing for longer than a few minutes. His thoughts were in a jumble and he didn’t know how to start sorting through them. Being a Daylighter had thrown his life for a loop, and although he had originally believed that it was a good thing, he wasn’t so sure anymore.

No matter how much he slept, he was always tired during the day, as though the sun itself was sucking the energy out of him. And then, at night, when he should be resting, he spent hours staring at his room’s ceiling and begging for sleep to claim him. His mind and body were constantly at war, and he didn’t know how to fix it.

He knew that Raphael had a point, that Simon was still trying to deny his status as a vampire and had been using the whole Daylighter thing as a way to justify his actions, but he didn’t know how to stop denying it. It wasn’t that he disliked being a vampire, because it had hundreds of advantages and guaranteed him a place in the Shadow World. He had just never truly felt like he belonged at the hotel with the other vampires. His new ability certainly didn’t help; they all looked at him like he was strange, or worse, _contagious_.

Sighing wearily, Simon looked up at the sky. Morning had arrived and the sun was shining brightly, so he had to blink away black spots as they danced behind his eyelids. He had loved sunny days, once upon a time, but he didn’t anymore.

He knew, rationally, that if he went back to the hotel, Raphael would be waiting for him and willing to talk to him about his troubles. In fact, he would bet that the other vampire actually wanted to hear him rant about his problems. However, Simon had never been the most rational person, so instead of going to see Raphael, he decided to visit his mother.

His very mundane mother who didn’t know he was a vampire, which was the main source of his worries. Once again, he had never claimed to be _logical_.

“I just feel like everything’s spiralling out of control, you know?” he breathed out. He hadn’t been able to tell his mother everything, of course, but he knew that she would understand his feelings, if nothing else. “I always thought that my life would be completely ordinary. I would ask Clary out, we’d be an amazing couple, we’d both go to class and study and be two utterly normal young adults, but now… Here I am, without a job or goal or girlfriend, pining after a boy who’s too good for me and regretting all of my life choices.”

“Oh, Simon,” his mother chuckled. “You worry too much, my sweet boy. It’s okay to feel like you don’t know what you’re doing; you’re too young to know what the future has in store for you. You can’t change the fact that you dropped out of school or that Clary doesn’t like you, but you know what you _can_ do? Go find that boy, the one who makes your eyes sparkle, and make sure that he knows how much you care about him.”

He thought about protesting, but his mom had that _look_ in her eyes, the one she got whenever she knew something that he didn’t. He had never won an argument when she was in one of those moods, so he let it go. And then he caved in completely, because his heart ached for Raphael and he knew that he wouldn’t be able to stay away for much longer anyways.

It was mid-afternoon by the time he reached the hotel, so he hadn’t expected to find anyone there. Raphael, however, didn’t like living up to his expectations. It was one of the things that Simon admired most about him, his ability to continuously surprise the younger vampire.

“I wasn’t sure you’d be coming back,” Raphael drawled when Simon walked into the hotel’s main living room. “But Isabelle convinced me to wait a while longer before hunting you down, and indeed, here you are.”

“Here I am,” Simon smiled awkwardly, shifting from foot to foot as he thought about what he wanted to say. In the end, he settled for the obvious. “I’m sorry about earlier. I shouldn’t have run out on you like that, especially when I know that you were just trying to help me. I was just…”

“Afraid?” Raphael finished for him.

As he waited for the older vampire to say something, Simon took the time to look at him silently. Raphael was beautiful in a way that Simon could never dream of being; everything about him was dark, mysterious, _ethereal_ , and Simon thought that he was the most stunning person he had ever met.

His clothes were always meticulously clean, but never sterile. He wasn’t as flamboyant as Magnus, but he shone in a different, quieter way. The dark reds and purples and blacks looked striking on him, and Simon didn’t think that he would ever tire of staring at the other man. Raphael was a _vision_ , and Simon was in love with him.

Sometimes, the solution was as simple as that.

“You’re right, I’m not happy,” he breathed out, not daring to glance at Raphael as he spoke. “I keep convincing myself that if I try hard enough, I can just forget about the part of me that loves the dark, but I… I don’t think I can, and it terrifies me, Raphael. I lived my whole life thinking that I had to thrive in the light, and now that I can’t, I don’t know how to be myself anymore. I don’t know how to be _happy_ anymore.”

“Don’t you?” Raphael asked patiently. “Are you not happy when you see Clarissa? Or when you spend time with your mother? Or when you stay out late at night, looking at the stars? Don’t even try to deny it; I’ve caught you doing it at least five times in the last month. Is that not what happiness is to you, Simon? You’ve been thinking about this situation all wrong. Being a Daylighter doesn’t mean that you’re suddenly not a vampire anymore, and hiding away that part of yourself will always make you feel like you’re missing something. But it doesn’t mean that you can’t be happy this way, _idiota_.”

“But I don’t know _how_ ,” Simon whispered. “I don’t know how I’m supposed to be happy with a life in the dark. I understand what you’re trying to say, believe me, but I feel so lost in this world, and I’m not sure that I’ll ever belong here because everyone else always looks at me like I’m some… Some strange mutation of a vampire that doesn’t deserve to be alive.”

“Do _I_ look at you like that?” Raphael rolled his eyes. “Look, I’m not going to lie and say that everyone’s happy about your change, but they all know that it’s not something you planned. If you just tried to get to know them, I promise that you’d realise they’re not that bad. And if they bother you, just come to me.”

“You’re not my dad, Raphael, I don’t need you to fight my battles for me,” Simon said defensively. He didn’t know why Raphael was so protective when it came to him, but if this was some weird sire thing, he didn’t want anything to do with it.

“ _Dios_ , you’re an idiot,” the older vampire sighed. “Do you really need me to spell things out for you, Simon? Do you really still believe that I’m doing this out of obligation? Have you ever seen me spend this much time with anyone else?”

“Well, no, but that’s because I’m the only one who passes out from exhaustion and can’t figure out how to live at night and bothers you with my problems,” Simon frowned; Raphael’s exasperated look seemed to imply that there was something else going on, but he didn’t understand what. Why else would Raphael spend his nights and days at Simon’s side? Why else would he seek him out and try to help him with his problems and act like he cared about- “Oh.”

“Yes, _oh_ ,” Raphael laughed. “Don’t even try to make me say it out loud, Lewis, because it isn’t going to happen. When Isabelle told me that you wouldn’t realise I had… feelings for you, I didn’t realise that it would be this bad. It took you over a _month_ , Simon.”

“Excuse you,” Simon scoffed through his huge grin. “You haven’t exactly done anything to act on your feelings either.”

“I let you sleep in my bed, Simon,” Raphael pointed out. “I made sure that you were feeding, I looked after you when you appeared to be struggling with the Daylighter problem, I went out with you and your friends two weeks ago; I don’t know what else I could have done.”

“You could have declared your love for me,” Simon suggested, stepping closer to Raphael. “Or asked me out on a date.”

“You would have panicked,” Raphael countered, and although Simon wanted to deny it, the other man wasn’t wrong. He probably _would_ have freaked out if Raphael had tried to talk to him about his feelings.

Oh god, Raphael Santiago liked him. What was he supposed to do now? Should he ask him out? Should he kiss him? Were there dating rules that only applied to vampires? What if he did something wrong and ruined everything?

“See, you’re doing it right now,” the older vampire chuckled. “Just… Come here, Simon.”

He was in Raphael’s arms a second later, his hands clutching at the older man’s jacket and his eyes wide as he realised how close they were standing to each other. Raphael’s skin was cold, but it was still warmer than his own, and he snuggled closer, seeking comfort. The other man indulged him, humming softly and caressing Simon’s cheek so softly that he almost whined when the fingers retreated.

“Promise me you’ll start living like a Child of the Night again.”

“What do I get in exchange?” Simon murmured breathlessly.

“Me,” Raphael answered immediately. “And perhaps even a celebratory kiss or two, if you accept fast enough.”

“Make it three and we have a deal.”

Raphael’s smile was warm and happy, and when his lips pressed against Simon’s, the younger man couldn’t help but mirror it, giggling into Raphael’s mouth as their teeth crashed together painfully.

He’d stay with the children of the night forever if he got someone as amazing as Raphael out of it.

**Author's Note:**

> Heya guys! Thank you so much for reading (and thanks to my sister for helping me edit this!)
> 
> This is my second fic for the Shadowhunter Bingo (for the Children of the Night prompt), and I have another two lined up and ready to be posted since my muse decided to strike today. I've never written Saphael before but it's one of my favourite Shadowhunter ships and I couldn't help myself. Hopefully this turned out okay! 
> 
> Love, Julie. 
> 
> (find me on tumblr @hopesilverheart)


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